Mortgage searches grew 15 per cent in the week ending Saturday 25 April, the latest market report from Twenty7Tec shows.

This compares to the drop of 1 per cent seen last week.

It means that searches were up 14 per cent on two weeks ago but remain down across the month – 34 per cent down on four weeks ago.

The volume of documents prepared also grew, by 19 per cent on the previous week, but down 42 per cent on a month ago, and the value of loans documented followed the same pattern – up 20 per cent on the previous week, but down 44 per cent on four weeks ago.

The purchase to remortgage ratio, usually 55-60, hovered at much the same level as it did last week, at 32-68 (previously at 30-70).

The growth of buy-to-let is also noted in the report. The long-term average for this sector is just shy of 20 per cent, but it currently stands at 24 per cent.

Twenty7Tech chief executive James Tucker says: “Thankfully, there are some good news stories in this week’s figures. Whilst the volumes are considerably lower than the high times of late February, it is possible that we are now starting to see the ‘end of the beginning’.

“The pipeline of housing available for purchase will likely have been helped by the news from some major housebuilders that many of their sites will re-open this week.

“When I speak to brokers, it’s clear how hard they are working for their clients and trying to keep the market flowing as much as possible. We can but hope these green shoots of good news which have, seemingly, begun to sprout over the past two weeks will give brokers something to build on.”